1. Field of the Present Invention
The present invention generally relates to the field of data processing networks and more particularly to managing servers in a network using a single physical network while minimizing bandwidth consumption attributable to the management process.
2. History of Related Art
In the field of data processing networks, a local network, such as an Ethernet network, is frequently connected to an external network, such as the Internet, through a router, hub, or other network-dispatching device. The local area network itself may include a significant number of data processing devices or server appliances that are interconnected through a central switch. The server appliances may receive the bulk of their data processing requests from the external network.
When large numbers of server appliances are connected to a common switch and providing critical services such as running web-based applications, they must be managed at minimum cost and with a minimum of additional hardware and cabling. Using a single network for both management and applications is therefore desirable. Unfortunately, using a common network with limited bandwidth for application and data traffic as well as management traffic may result in decreased application performance. It is therefore desirable to reduce the overhead associated with management tasks in a network environment. It is further desirable if the implemented solution is compatible, to the greatest extent possible, with existing network protocols to minimize time and expense.
In addition, traditional networks typically require the periodic gathering of management information. This periodic information retrieval has generally been inefficiently achieved by configuring an alarm and programming one or more processors to respond to the alarm by sending management information on the network. Typically, this polled information travels over the network using the same logical path (same communication protocol) as the application packets thereby resulting in unnecessary delays and complexity due to the nature of communication protocols and the inherent operation of the local area network. It would desirable to improve upon the efficiency with which this periodically information retrieval is handled. Moreover, traditional networks have typically not implemented methods to prioritize packets efficiently despite the advent of protocol standards that explicitly define prioritization resources. It would be desirable to use such resources to provide a method of beneficially differentiating different types of packets from one another and implementing transmission and interrupt priorities based on such differences.